


You Always Smile Like You're About to Cry

by laurel_wesley (Wes)



Category: RWBY
Genre: Comfort, Crying, F/M, M/M, Non-binary character, Onesided crushes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 00:06:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5269046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wes/pseuds/laurel_wesley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Add. Tags: Nep is kinda OOC, Sage/Neptune if you really want to spin it that way, I kind of made myself sad writing this??? not really lol, I've only experienced this feeling like once in my life tbh so I'm my own unreliable resource, crushes are gross sometimes, I'm sorry Neptune, also Scarlet likes to tease their teammates and probably ships them lol) </p><p>Sun lands a date, Neptune is a sadsack, Sage is empathetic, and Scarlet likes to tease their friends. At least Nep stopped crying, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Always Smile Like You're About to Cry

**Author's Note:**

> If any of you followed me on FF.net (@96thperson), you probably remember how good I am at posting things in advance for holidays when I should be updating multi-chapter fics I'm working on. Honestly, it's a talent of mine. Anyway I'm finished with the last chapter of KRWN and I'm gonna post that either tonight or tomorrow, then there's going to be an interlude and a ton of editing before I even start semester two lol I hope to finish that sometime around the end of S3 or sometime after. 
> 
> Anyway, I wrote this a really long time ago and I don't know why I had the urge to post it now??? I don't even know haha maybe it's because I'm suddenly shipping Black Sun hella hard lol Even though I'm in love with Newspaper and Ladybug haaaa Ladybug was my OTP for the longest time and now suddenly I'm shipping Nuts and Dolts and Black Sun 
> 
> Ahem
> 
> Anyway *Marble Soda voice* Plz enjoy it. You can read this with onesided Seaweed (Nep/Sage) if you really want tho haha 
> 
> Oh also I started this in present tense and then changed it so if you notice any tense errors please notify me so I can fix them lol

"Guys!!" Sun burst into the dorm, ignoring Sage when he scolded him for letting the door fly open. Scarlet had just emerged from the shower, towel tugged high around their chest, and nearly shrieked bloody murder until Sun closed the door. But the monkey was way too hyped up to really care at that moment, his grin lighting up the whole room. 

Neptune found it cute. He laughed at Sun's antics, and asked, "Dude, you're freaking out. What's up?" 

"Guess who just got a date?!" 

Neptune's smile faltered. He held back the sudden flush and rush of tears, meekly whispering, "You?" 

"Hell yeah me! Dude, guys, Scarlet, oh my god-- Blake agreed to go out with me!" He hopped into the air, fist pumping energetically, until Scarlet finally walked over and grabbed the hem his shirt, holding him down on the floor. 

"Sun, calm down, we have neighbors." Sage said. Scarlet huffed, smacking his team leader's cheek lightly, before walking off and gathering some clothes from their drawer. They meandered back to the bathroom, shutting the door quietly. 

"So what's this about Blake?" Sage asked. Neptune stared on, but barely said anything. He smiled again, forced, when he noticed Sun looking between them. 

"I thought she was gonna turn me down, I was so scared, man. But she said yes. We're going out for tea later. I'm paying of course." Sun bragged, puffing his chest out. 

"Do you even have the money?" Scarlet asked, emerging from the bathroom once again. They had the towel half over their hair, the rest hanging over their shoulders, as they dried their hair off. "What if she wants to pay for herself?" 

"Then I'll let her. But yeah, I've got the money, I'm not broke _all_ the time." Sun said with a roll of his eyes. 

Neptune snorted. "Are you using the money from the last bet you lost to me?" 

"What? No. I'm still getting that." Sun turned to his best friend and tried to force an annoyed expression, but his smile still showed through. It made Neptune's heart clench, then beat just a little faster; it hurt. 

"You'll owe me again, you know. But enjoy your date. I hope it goes well." Neptune said, hoping his voice wasn't quiet. Scarlet adjusted themself on their bed and glanced up at Neptune, their usual bulldog-angry face replaced by something more passive. Maybe a guilty bulldog, or a suspecting one. 

"Thanks Nep. That means a lot to me." Sun sent him a bright smile. They turned away from each other at the same time, Neptune fighting to hide his blush. While Sage and Sun keep talking, Scarlet and Neptune locked eyes. They had a silent conversation, Scarlet mainly conveying angry looks until Neptune mouthed, "Tell you later." 

"Well! I'm gonna go run some errands before I meet up with her- gotta find a good place to go! Do you think there's a book store that does tea?" Sun's tail flicked back and forth anxiously, then quickly stilled as he sent them another grin. "I'll figure it out. Wish me luck guys!" 

"Wait, Sun, I--" Neptune started, then stopped. He gulped, flushing even more because suddenly all eyes were on him. "I'm, I- I'm happy for you. Good luck." 

Sun sent him maybe the brightest grin since he got back, his eyes positively brimming with stars and excitement, and exclaimed, "Thanks, man! I'll do my best!" 

And with that, he ran back out of the dorm, leaving Sage to shut the door. Neptune finally let out the breath he'd been holding, but it came out as more of a shaky sob than anything. 

"He had to come back to tell us that, then leave again..." Scarlet huffed. They turned to Neptune, continuing "What's your beef with him?" 

"I..." All eyes were on Neptune again. He held back his tears, masking them with a smile. "It's nothing important. I'm just surprised is all." 

"You're a horrible liar, you know" Sage told him, coming over to sit next to Scarlet on the bed. Scarlet shifted over to allow him room. Sage kept talking, "You know, you really just look like you're holding back tears or something whenever you smile at him about things like this- This isn't the first time I've seen you do this. Tonight you look like you're actually crying."

Neptune looked away from Sage, his sad smile hitting the floor. If the floor could smile back, it probably would give him the most sympathetic smile it could. "Do I...?" 

"Yeah," Scarlet said, somewhat deadpanning. They shifted slightly, adjusting their wrist and shoulder as they got more comfortable. "And like Sage said, it's always after talking with Sun too. Mostly about that Blake chick." 

"I... I'm happy for him," Neptune muttered. He kneaded his fingers together in his lap. "Yeah. I'm really happy for him." 

"Neptune, if there's something you want to talk about, you can tell us. You know Scarlet won't hold it against you or use it for blackmail." Sage reassured. Scarlet nudged him in the side, pushing Sage over a bit- they really didn't know their own strength- and hissed, "Hey! Not helping Tall and Nerdy over there!" 

Neptune huffed out a laugh. Sage and Scarlet instantly knew, one-hundred percent, something was up. Neptune always corrected them when they called him a nerd. 

"Nep...?" Scarlet ventured. 

Neptune sniffed, wiped his eyes, then spoke, "Thanks guys, but I'm okay." 

"... I hate to push you, but you're crying over Sun going on a date with someone, and I'm pretty sure it's not out of happiness. You're not okay." Sage countered softly, moving to sit next to Neptune. "Talk to us." 

"Careful, or I might fall for you too." 

Oh. _Oh._ That's what this was about. 

"Oh my god Neptune, I'm sorry." Scarlet breathed, covering their mouth with both hands. "I can't believe he didn't notice..." 

"Well I'm not exactly obvious, you know?" Neptune sniffled again. Sage got up and gathered a roll of toilet paper from their bathroom, cursing because they didn't have a tissue box. He handed the roll to Neptune. "I mean, only as of late have I stopped being really subtle, I tried to hold his hand and tell him a few times. But it's really too late, you know what I mean?" 

He blew his nose, then took a new tissue to wipe his eyes. They were red and puffy already. Sage let him lean against his shoulder while Scarlet grabbed the trash can from by the desk. They readjusted themself on the bed after setting it down near Neptune's feet, and a tense silence filled the room, only broken by Neptune's sniffles. 

"I don't want to say you don't get it, but I mean..." Neptune started. Scarlet put up a hand. 

"Don't worry. I've chased and been chased, but no where near as bad as you, so I don't really understand it. And Sage... Is Sage. He just doesn't." Scarlet said, looking at their partner. 

"Shut up, Scarlet, I know what he's going through." Sage snapped, though it was a tad bit more upset snarky than playful snarky. He always was the empathetic one. "But it's not about me, it's about Neptune." 

"Thanks," Neptune muttered, wiping at his eyes again. He felt a little apologetic for brushing Sage off though, and that just added to his blue mood. "I don't know. I like him. A lot. I should have just told him." 

"It's hard to tell someone that you like them, it takes a lot of courage." Sage soothed. He rubbed a hand up and down Neptune's back, his eyes trained on the floor. Scarlet glanced between them, then watched the floor as well, his bulldog face returning. 

"Well, he is the oblivious type, you know? You have to be way out there to get him to notice," They say. "So it's hardly your fault that he didn't see." 

Neptune bit his lip. "I just wish I'd told him. I'm happy for him, I really am. But that doesn't mean my chest isn't gonna hurt every time he talks about her, or I see them holding hands or kis..." 

He trailed off, and Scarlet made a disgusted noise. "Oh, Heaven forbid we ever see them making out!" 

That pulled a small laugh out of Neptune. "Right? No PDA in the dorm." 

"He's not going to be the last person you fall for. There's still plenty of other fish in the sea." Sage said with a small smile. Scarlet nodded enthusiastically, their face taking on a devious smirk. "Yeah, like that Ice Queen girl! Or how about tall, blonde and scraggly we saw you with at the dance, yeah? They're pretty cute. And you said it yourself, maybe Sage, right?" Scarlet listed, smirking wider as their teammates' eyes widened a bit and they looked at each other. 

"Scarlet, no, oh my god." Neptune pulled away from Sage, shooting them a pointed look while Sage turned away and muttered something under his breath. At least that got a smirk out of Neptune. "Jaune doesn't even like me, I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm only into Weiss for her money or something like that. And Weiss is... She's cool and all, but I mean... Idunno. And I was joking about the Sage thing, I'm sorry. It's hard to get over a crush you've had for like two years." 

"That is a longass time." Scarlet whistled. They hopped off the bed and sat on Neptune's other side. "But we're still young. How old are you, seventeen? There's a lot more of your life to get over him. And who knows, it may work out in the future." 

"Scarlet's right. And if you want to tell him, we're here to support you." Sage sent Neptune a supportive, reassuring smile, earning the first honest-to-god happy one from Neptune that evening. "Thanks Sage. I'm lucky I know you guys." 

"Ah ba ba. Gender neutral, Neppers." Scarlet scolded, waving a finger in his face. 

"Right. Sorry. I'm glad I know you two." Neptune laughed, shaking his head

"Better. Okay, now who's ready to help me with history homework? I fell asleep during the lecture two days in a row so I still know nothing about Vale's cultural background."


End file.
